Cassidy to make prototype debut in Asian Le Mans Series

The 2017 SUPER GT Series champion will race a Ligier JS P217 for the Philippine-based Eurasia Motorsport squad in the four-round series, which runs from November through to February next year.

Red Bull-backed Cassidy will share the car with fellow New Zealander Daniel Gaunt, a sometime Indy Lights and Australian Supercars driver, and European Le Mans Series LMP3 regular Nobuya Yamanaka.

Eurasia boss Mark Goddard said that the signing of Cassidy was a "real coup for the team" and that Yamanaka, who is backing the programme, had "really shown his intent to succeed by adding Nick and Dan to the car".

The Eurasia deal represents a further widening of Cassidy's sportscar experience as he completes his fourth full season in SUPER GT with the TOM'S Lexus team.

He has joined the Taiwanese HubAuto Corsa Ferrari squad for a programme of events in the Intercontinental GT Challenge this season.

Cassidy drove its Ferrari 488 GT3 in last month's Spa 24 Hours and is racing for the team again this weekend alongside Nick Foster and ex-Formula 1 driver Heikki Kovalainen in the Suzuka 10 Hours IGTC round.

Eurasia, which was represented on the Le Mans 24 Hours grid in 2016-18, is also planning to run further LMP2 and P3 Ligiers in the 2019/20 Asian series.